Thanks a million for all your suggestions, this is definitely helping me. One qn. on the last reply, homeschooling with me staying home is not a options since I work fulltime, but I can spend 1 hour with each daily. So based on some suggestions here, what would you think of a option to put both DS, DD in a public school in the community and homeschool for 1 hour each daily - For DS, this environment could be age level at school, may not get attention at school, but 1/1 for 1 hour I can work on academics. For DD especially, qn. is given that she is 5 yr and is reading fluently with special sounds and comprehension, at a 1st grade level now, is this a 2 yr down sweep to go to public school ? If I order Abeka 1st grade home school curriculum and spend 1 hour daily would that be enough to keep her challenged? the accelerated school that she would have gone to would now teach her Abeka 1st grade curriculum in kindergarten. She is a bright girl with good memory and am trying to find if this level of effort would meet her on par with school level. So the qn. is if we are looking to keep both at same school, would public school with home schooling 1 hr daily a option. I can perhaps think of spending the money I would on private in some 1/1 tutoring with the school teachers if need be once or twice a week. Ofcourse the accelerated school would send students to spelling and other competitions outside, not sure how much of that can be watched out and compensated being in a public school and with home schooling. Pls. suggest your thoughts. Thanks again!

Thanks for all to go through my posts. An update in the last one week. The School3 that we tried seems to be a concern. For my boy, the teacher said 3 out of the 5 days, he did not follow instructions and she had to repeat a lot of times to get the seatwork done. The teacher was concerned that with Abeka she would move ahead for further reading in the next few months and how he is going to be able to take it. Personally I know he does not understand the concept of beginning sounds yet, so am concerned if he is ready for this or not. For my girl, the teacher seems firm to go through the entire K material to my girl with entire class and then go to new stuff for her, which could be another 3 months, worried if the girl's acclerated learning is being messed up here. With these am thinking if we Option 1 - continue like this and wait for extremes? Option 2 - follow last year method of putting hte girl in accelerated school where she was very happy and the boy in the school where it was private, and laid back and helped him grow emotionally though not academically. This was a kind of practical difficult for us, but perhaps a good choice. option 3 - put the girl in accelerated school but the boy in public school. since both are ready for public schoo. The school in our community is rated good, but teacher student ratio is 24 kids, so little worried how that is going to work out for the teacher to know the kid. any suggestions?

Any replies pls., Thanks for your time

Any replies pls.,

Thanks, DD is a accelerated reader and is usually also a bright girl. She has a great memory and does show signs of a sharp mind. When the last reply is about pushing to accelerate her, is it to supplement at home while keeping the twins in same grade? My most concerns at this point are - If we are demotivating my DD by keeping her in a school that repeats to some extent what she knows, and how much of home schooling to challenge her after school and the school reading groups to expose advanced material can keep her pushing ahead. If DS who did not like the reading material on Abeka last year in a school with 1 yr accelerated curriculum would thrive here, though the school has small sizes and can afford 1/1 attention and I can home school upto 1 hour on each. Overall considering the practical difficulties and emotional difficulties in keeping them in different schools (they knew they were in different schools and could tend to compare) are we making a good choice here. As parents we want to give the best for both and keeping in different schools could have been best, but drains our energy on any supplements. While qn. is , is this current option a close to best choice. Thanks a million!

Thanks so much for your time and yes you are Right, I perhaps needed some sleep or coffee. I messed up DS for my daughter and DD for my son. Here is the corrected version. Also few more notes, I work and can spend an hour the most with each on daily basis, so complete homeschooling is not a option. DD and DS will be in different classes in any school. Talked to teacher for DD in new school and she said class work will be common (which is repetitive as its Abeka from last year) and for reading groups they can supplement with non Abeka Library material. So Abeka 1st grade she will be exposed only in 1st grade. Pls help!! Question - corrected : I've twins age 5. They will be ready for PS K this year. Trying to do the best for both kids, but getting little worried over it and appreciate your help. DD went to a accelerated school last 2 years and now reads at 1st grade level. DD has thrived in accelerated envt., and has been able to get on with new challenges. DS had to be moved from DD's school due to its highly structured envt. that he did not like teachers/envt., and was happy with a new school. DS thrives in 1/1 attention. Although DS makes progress, it is slow and is laid back. He was on a 1/1 coaching this summer, DS now is starting to put blends together and is at entering K level. As of this summer from looking around the area and our options, PS is not a option now due to its high student teacher ratio and also that for DD it may be very boring and for DS it may not give the attention needed. DD's school was 30 mins away from home, DS's school was 15 mins away and was practically difficult to drop 2 kids in different schools that was leaving few mins in the evening only for homework but not for a lot of supplements. Due to this and my husband's preference to keep kids in same school and try not to make the gap between them higher, we are looking at options to keep them in same school, that will give us some time in evng. to spend with kids. DD's school may not be good for DS even now for same past reasons. DS's school may not be good for DD as their standard and teaching level is almost same as public school. We looked at a completely another new school let us call School3. This school follows Abeka curriculum at age level. DD's old school was Abeka at 1 yr advanced. School3 for DS might be good for his needs on reinforcement, and also starting at K level. He , if is able to cope up might emerge as a good reader end of year. School3 might be good for DD due to Abeka curriculum, cursive writing standards, but since it is at age leavel, she will repeat what she did last year to some extent for the class work and common class teaching. From talking to the prinicipal and the teachers in detail about both kids, they said common class teaching has to be same and cannot be accelerated for individual kids, but DD will be exposed to outside library material for higher grades. But even when we asked if DD can be exposed to Abeka 1st grade, it was NO as she would be bored next year or cannot be moved entirely to 1st grade. Comparing SAT scores, DD's old school is 1yr 6 mo.s above national average, while School3 is 1yr. Kind of 6 mo.s difference between 2 schools. With School3 as option, since it is closer, I would have time to supplement DD with next level Abeka and other enrichment to challenge her, plan to do that. Given the above , though last year's option per my husband is practically impossible due to its difficulties the concern is if we are landing in a option that is not better for both kids. And if we are compromising on one kid (DD) for another. DD is a risk taker, and we are taking a risk on her. Concerns are at school, if she would either be bored or could develop a 'I know all' attitude, and how much the supplementing at home (for 1 hour max a day) will keep her challenged at her level. Also our plan is to continue in private only till 2nd grade and hopefully if they get into GT(gifted and talented) to move to PS. Please advice if any suggestions and if better options, if any. Thanks!

I've twins age 5. They will be ready for PS K this year. Trying to do the best for both kids, but getting little worried over it and appreciate your help. DS went to a accelerated school last 2 years and now reads at 1st grade level. DS has thrived in accelerated envt., and has been able to get on with new challenges. DD had to be moved from DS's school due to its highly structured envt. that he did not like teachers/envt., and was happy with a new school. DD thrives in 1/1 attention. Although DD makes progress, it is slow and is laid back. He was on a 1/1 coaching this summer, DD now is starting to put blends together and is at entering K level. As of this summer from looking around the area and our options, PS is not a option now due to its high student teacher ratio and also that for DS it may be boring and for DD it may not give the attention needed. DS's school was 30 mins away from home, DD's school was 15 mins away and was practically difficult to drop 2 kids in different schools that was leaving few mins in the evening only for homework but not for a lot of supplements. Due to this and my husband's preference to keep kids in same school and try not to make the gap between them higher, we are looking at options to keep them in same school, that will give us some time in evng. to spend with kids. DS's school may not be good for DD even now for same past reasons. DD's school may not be good for DS as their standard and teaching level is almost same as public school. We looked at a completely another new school let us call School3. This school follows Abeka curriculum at age level. DS's old school was Abeka at 1 yr advanced. School3 for DD might be good for his needs on reinforcement, and also starting at K level. He , if is able to cope up might emerge as a good reader end of year. School3 might be good for DS due to same Abeka curriculum, cursive writing standards, but she will repeat what she did last year to some extent for the class work and common class teaching. From talking to the prinicipal and the teachers in detail about both kids, they said common class teaching has to be same and cannot be accelerated for individual kids, but DS will be exposed to outside library material for higher grades. But even when we asked if DS can be exposed to Abeka 1st grade, it was NO as she would be bored next year or cannot be moved entirely to 1st grade. Comparing SAT scores, DS's old school is 1yr 6 mo.s above national average, while School3 is 1yr. Kind of 6 mo.s difference between 2 schools. With School3 as option, since it is closer, I would have time to supplement DS with next level Abeka and other enrichment to challenge her, plan to do that. Given the above , though last year's option per my husband is practically impossible due to its difficulties the concern is if we are landing in a option that is not better for both kids. And if we are compromising on one kid (DS) for another. DS is a risk taker, and we are taking a risk on her. Concerns are at school, if she would either be bored or could develop a 'I know all' attitude, and how much the supplementing at home (for 1 hour max a day) will keep her challenged at her level. Also our plan is to continue in private only till 2nd grade and hopefully if they get into GT(gifted and talented) to move to PS. Please advice if any suggestions and if better options, if any. Thanks!

Thanks for taking time to go thru this query. I've 4.5 year old boy/girl twins. They are different in 90% of the things and have to say that my dd has been very ahead of her age compared to her twin brother or other same age kids. She is now reading. My ds is good in some social activities but in most he tries to follow or look up to his twin sister. We had both of them in a private christian school from last one and half year. This year ds had difficulties setting in his class when the reading program started and he started to dislike the school and the teacher. My dd was in different class in same school but happy with the teacher and got caught up well in class. There has been a lot of difference in class work where DD would do by herself and ds needed lot of help. Looking at this and his dislike towards the school, we took a step back and pulled him out to go for another private school which does not push kids like the first school does and this school is more of kids own pace oriented. My ds liked the school and the teacher and has started to do a few things he was not doing in other school even tho it was taught there and other kids were doing. He somehow felt out of place, it looked like there and started to feel good in new school. Right now , though it is practically difficult for us to manage drops and pickups in 2 places and times, my dd is doing well and is moving ahead fast and is getting exposed to lot of good things in school 1. And ds is happy at the school, there is no push and he is slowly learning step by step. There is a lot of difference now in what dd and ds know. At home I try to sit with them for home work and attend to each in different ways at different pace. dd has home work and ds does not. It is more of Kumon and home schooling. I thought he might be able to catchup with his twin sister but am little scared to push him and if we let him go in his pace, he may not be able to catch up in near future. Given where we are , we need to think of next year. I need help here. Coming summer they will be 5 and ready for public school kindergarten. When we originally put them on private christian school , the thought was to continue either till they are or 6/8 and then move to public , given the good curriculum the school has. They follow Abeka curriculum. But now due to the complexity and the difference in kids nature and pace, we are a little lost on the options and their pros/cons. We see a few options possible at this time - 1. Continue with current model for one more year. Where DD is in accelerated curriculum (almost 2 years ahead of public school) and DS is progressing at his comfort level with no push and is still ahead of public school. The plus here is kids seem to be happy and we are able to give the best exposure possible to them. The minus is that they may just grow with the difference and not sure if they realize and develop any thoughts over the differences. Another minus is the practical difficulty to transport the twins. 2. Put DS back in the private school to be with DD. This means I'll have to rush through and also push DS to move quicker by next summer to catchup with his sister. He may or not and the school may or not take him. The plus is the transport and convenience of having same curriculum. Another plus is the satisfaction that we have exposed them both to a good school. Minus is that my DS may or not be happy at that age to go back. Minus is the amount of push that may be conssitently needed for DS. 3. Pull out DD from christian school and put in the new private school that DS is going to. since my DD is ahead, she may find it easy in the new school and if the teachers are able to move her ahead, she might thrive on here. The plus is the convenience. Minus is that while the christian school is a A+ category and moves ahead aggressive, the new school is quite casual and my DD may miss out on a couple of advanced exposure. And if it did not work out, we might have caused some upset to DD since she likes her school now. 4. Put both in public school. Given the amount of exposure the kids had so far, for my DD it could be a absolute vacation for almost a year. For DS it could be atleast for 6 mo.s or so and might slowly start later. The plus is convenience, cost etc. Minus is that we loose a lot of good exposure and a foundation that we were willing to give to the kids. In addition to the said things above, my DS is also very soft natured and sensitive and DD knows that she is ahead of him. It does happen sometimes that she tries to answer for all his questions and he either follows her or screams and hits her. We try to tell them, but it seems inevitable that comparison and fights do happen. I need some suggestion on how to keep them growing up healthy and not develop any kind of superior or inferior feelings. With your experience please suggest if any of above options or any others you can think of are good for kids in long run. OVerall my intention was to give the best exposure to the kids in our capacity and see them thrive with good foundation in younger years. Thanks!!